Hugh Elles
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Hugh Jamieson Elles KCB
KCMG
KCVO
DSO
(1880–1945) was a British
General and the first commander of the newly formed Tank Corps
in the First World War.
. He was educated at Clifton College
, and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, after which he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
in June 1899. He served in South Africa
during the latter part of the Second Boer War
and then undertook regimental duty in Aldershot
. In 1913 he attended the Army Staff College at Camberley
.
, posted to the staff of 4th Infantry Division
. He served at Le Cateau
, then took part in the Retreat to the Seine and the battle of the Aisne
, where the German Army was halted. He then moved north with the British Expeditionary Force to Flanders
, taking part in the Battle of Armienteres in October 1914. In February 1915, he was promoted to brevet
major
and served as the Brigade Major
with 10th Infantry Brigade. He was wounded during their counter-attack, on 25 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres
.
In August 1915, he was one of three officers specially selected by Sir William Robertson to liaise with troops at the front and pass the information directly to the British General Headquarters. In January 1916, as a General Staff
officer, he was sent by General Haig
to investigate the first tank
s or "caterpillars" being built in England. He attended the first trials of "Mother" and reported back to Haig on its success. During the summer of 1916, he was tasked to report back from the Somme
, where the tanks were first used. He was appointed to head the Heavy Branch (the first tank units) of the Machine Gun Corps
in France on 29 September 1916 in the temporary rank of Colonel. His responsibilities included its advanced training and tactical employment. He also commanded the large central depot and workshops established near Bermicourt
.
Having seen the tanks fail at the Battle of Ypres (also known as the Battle of Passchendaele), due to the dreadful ground and weather conditions of the Autumn 1917, he pressed Haig to use massed tanks on the open ground at Cambrai
. On 20 November 1917 he personally led 350 tanks into battle at Cambrai in a Mark IV tank
called Hilda. He designed the Corps flag of brown, red and green silk, which he flew from his tank. He is also credited with inventing the fascine
which allowed tanks to cross deep ditches.
Elles continued to command the Tank Corps as it played its full part in the defeat of the German Army in the Summer and Autumn of 1918.
. He then commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade
being posted to HQ Eastern Command as Chief of Staff in August 1926. In 1930 he was appointed Director of Military Training at the War Office and then, in 1933, commanded 42nd (Territorial) Division
for a few months. In April 1934, he was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance
in the rank of Lieutenant General; he was also the head of the Mechanisation Branch for which his previous service made him particularly suitable. He retired in 1938 and in the early years of the Second World War, was chief of Civil Defence operational staff (June 1940). Later he was appointed South West Regional Commissioner based in Bristol and would have taken regional command of the resistance in the event of a German invasion and occupation of Britain.
Elles was married three times, his first two wives dying before him. He died in London on 11 July 1945
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(1880–1945) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
General and the first commander of the newly formed Tank Corps
Tank Corps
Tank Corps may refer to:* Tank Corps, later Royal Tank Corps, early name of the Royal Tank Regiment* Tank Corps , a type of Red Army formation used up to World War II...
in the First World War.
Early life
Born in British India on 27 May 1880, Hugh Elles was the younger son of Lt Gen Sir Edmond EllesEdmond Elles
Lieutenant-General Sir Edmond Roche Elles KCB GCIE was a British Army officer who served in Egypt and India during the late 19th century and early 20th century.-External links:*...
. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
, and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, after which he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in June 1899. He served in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
during the latter part of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and then undertook regimental duty in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. In 1913 he attended the Army Staff College at Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
.
First World War
On the outbreak of the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, posted to the staff of 4th Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
. He served at Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
, then took part in the Retreat to the Seine and the battle of the Aisne
Battle of the Aisne
The Battle of the Aisne is the name of three battles fought along the Aisne River in northern France during the First World War.*First Battle of the Aisne - Anglo-French counter-offensive following the First Battle of the Marne....
, where the German Army was halted. He then moved north with the British Expeditionary Force to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, taking part in the Battle of Armienteres in October 1914. In February 1915, he was promoted to brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
and served as the Brigade Major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
with 10th Infantry Brigade. He was wounded during their counter-attack, on 25 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
.
In August 1915, he was one of three officers specially selected by Sir William Robertson to liaise with troops at the front and pass the information directly to the British General Headquarters. In January 1916, as a General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
officer, he was sent by General Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
to investigate the first tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s or "caterpillars" being built in England. He attended the first trials of "Mother" and reported back to Haig on its success. During the summer of 1916, he was tasked to report back from the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
, where the tanks were first used. He was appointed to head the Heavy Branch (the first tank units) of the Machine Gun Corps
Machine Gun Corps
The Machine Gun Corps was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat, and the branch was subsequently turned into the Tank...
in France on 29 September 1916 in the temporary rank of Colonel. His responsibilities included its advanced training and tactical employment. He also commanded the large central depot and workshops established near Bermicourt
Bermicourt
Bermicourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A small farming village located 28 miles northwest of Arras on the D98 road.-Population:-References:* -External links:* *...
.
Having seen the tanks fail at the Battle of Ypres (also known as the Battle of Passchendaele), due to the dreadful ground and weather conditions of the Autumn 1917, he pressed Haig to use massed tanks on the open ground at Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
. On 20 November 1917 he personally led 350 tanks into battle at Cambrai in a Mark IV tank
Mark I tank
The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First World War and the world's first combat tank. The Mark I entered service in August 1916, and was first used in action on the morning of 15 September 1916 during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, of the Somme...
called Hilda. He designed the Corps flag of brown, red and green silk, which he flew from his tank. He is also credited with inventing the fascine
Fascine
A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so on.-Early military use:...
which allowed tanks to cross deep ditches.
Elles continued to command the Tank Corps as it played its full part in the defeat of the German Army in the Summer and Autumn of 1918.
Later career
After the war, he commanded the Tank Corps Training Centre at Bovington from 1919–1923 and was Inspector of Tank Corps at the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. He then commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade
9th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
-History:The Brigade together with 8th Infantry Brigade and 185th Infantry Brigade formed the 3rd Infantry Division and participated in the ill-fated British Expeditionary Force, which evacuated from Dunkirk early in World War II....
being posted to HQ Eastern Command as Chief of Staff in August 1926. In 1930 he was appointed Director of Military Training at the War Office and then, in 1933, commanded 42nd (Territorial) Division
42nd (East Lancashire) Division
The 42nd Division was a Territorial Force division of the British Army. Originally called the East Lancashire Division, it was redesignated as the 42nd Division on 25 May 1915. It was the first Territorial division to be sent overseas during the First World War. The division fought at Gallipoli,...
for a few months. In April 1934, he was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...
in the rank of Lieutenant General; he was also the head of the Mechanisation Branch for which his previous service made him particularly suitable. He retired in 1938 and in the early years of the Second World War, was chief of Civil Defence operational staff (June 1940). Later he was appointed South West Regional Commissioner based in Bristol and would have taken regional command of the resistance in the event of a German invasion and occupation of Britain.
Elles was married three times, his first two wives dying before him. He died in London on 11 July 1945
Honours
Elles accumulated 21 medals during his distinguished military career:- Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath - Military Division
- Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael & St. George
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- Distinguished Service Order
- 1914 Star with bar (Mons Star)
- British War Medal 1914-18 (silver)
- Victory Medal
- Queen's South Africa Medal (Silver)
- Medal Ribbon Group
- Medal Ribbon Group
- Miniature Medal Group
- King George V Coronation 1911 (Silver)
- King George V Jubilee 1935
- King George VI Coronation 1937
- Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
- Croix de Guerre with Palms
- Legion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Legion of Honour, Third Republic, Third Class; France
- Order of the Crown, Fourth Class; Belgium
- Order of the Crown, Third Class; Belgium
- Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver StarOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(Japan).